Long before there were condoms, birth control pills, and our modern contraceptives, 10 unusual things were tried by our ancestors to help prevent pregnancy. Although they were far more inventive than we often give them credit for, many of these methods were hit‑or‑miss when it came to actually stopping a pregnancy.

10 Unusual Things in Birth Control History

Some of the earliest forms of birth control were more bizarre than others, and a few of them are still whispered about today. As you’ll see, these older methods weren’t always healthy for the men and women who used them—some were downright terrifying.

1. Juniper Berries

The juniper plant bears blue‑or‑reddish fruits better known as juniper berries. They flavor foods, season pickled meats, and even find their way into cosmetics and perfumes.

Many ancient Native American tribes discovered a range of uses for these berries. They would pierce the berries and string them into necklaces, and they also brewed a tea from the berries that was consumed for three consecutive days as a contraceptive ritual.

Modern herbalists note that juniper berries can act as a natural contraceptive; they alter the uterine lining, making it less hospitable for embryo implantation. However, pregnant or nursing women should steer clear of them because of potentially serious side effects.

Other herbs—such as wild carrot seed, smartweed leaves, neem, and rutin—have also been used historically for birth control. But remember, self‑medicating with herbs can be risky without professional guidance.

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2. Coca‑Cola

Coca‑Cola, the fizzy classic we all love, once found its way into contraceptive folklore during the 1950s and 1960s. In regions where conventional birth control was scarce or pricey, people believed the drink’s carbonic acid could kill sperm, and the glass bottle was dubbed the perfect “shake‑and‑shoot” applicator.

Harvard researcher Deborah Anderson and two colleagues actually tested Coke in sperm‑containing tubes. While the soda did kill a large portion of the sperm quickly, they warned that sperm could still reach the cervical canal faster than the liquid could be applied.

The study earned them an Ig Nobel Prize—an award celebrating research that first makes people laugh, then think. Anderson cautioned that using Coke as a douche could strip away healthy vaginal bacteria, leading to infections, and could also erode the top layer of vaginal cells, increasing susceptibility to sexually transmitted diseases.

So while the story makes for a fun urban legend, it’s best to enjoy Coca‑Cola as a refreshing beverage, not a birth‑control method.

3. Pennyroyal

Pennyroyal is a tiny member of the mint family, long used to soothe upset stomachs, ease flatulence, and treat colds. It’s also one of the few herbs historically touted as a natural contraceptive, and it still sees occasional use today.

According to the Orgone Biophysical Research Lab, Switzerland’s Women’s Health Center prescribes pennyroyal and similar herbs to halt pregnancy. They advise taking the herb immediately after intercourse—before implantation—to maximize any potential effect. Pennyroyal can also be brewed as a tea, though it should only be consumed for short periods at specific points in the menstrual cycle.

Scientific evidence supporting pennyroyal’s efficacy as a birth control method is lacking, and the herb can be toxic. Over‑use may damage the liver, kidneys, and nervous system, so it must be approached with extreme caution.

4. Lemons

When life gives you lemons, you might be tempted to turn them into a spermicide. In antiquity, acidic fruit juices—especially lemon—were applied to sponges or mixed with honey to create a makeshift contraceptive barrier.

The famed 18th‑century lover Casanova even fashioned a cervical cap from half a pulped lemon for his many paramours. The cap’s acidity could block and neutralize sperm, offering a surprisingly effective—though unsafe—method of birth control.

5. Cotton

Cotton is the soft, fibrous plant that supplies towels, clothing, fishing nets, coffee filters, tents, and even cottonseed oil. Yet it also played a role in historical contraception.

In China’s Jiangxi province, peasants who cooked with cottonseed oil often remained childless, leading locals to believe the oil acted as a male contraceptive. Scientific studies later showed that men who consumed cottonseed oil experienced higher infertility rates.

Beyond oil, cotton was woven into other birth‑control practices. Enslaved women in the United States chewed cotton‑root bark to prevent pregnancy; the bark interferes with the corpus luteum, disrupting ovulation. Some also brewed tea from the root, though its effectiveness remains uncertain.

6. Weasel Testicles

Not every ancient contraceptive was elegant. Between AD 100 and AD 500, Europeans believed that a woman could drape weasel testicles around her neck during intercourse to ward off pregnancy.

If the necklace idea sounded too odd, some women tied the testicles around their thigh during sex. Modern scholars agree this method was ineffective and certainly not something to try today.

7. Animal Intestines

By the 1400s, people were already experimenting with animal intestines to fashion early condoms. Wrapping the penis proved a smarter way to prevent conception and even offered some protection against sexually transmitted infections.

The ancient Romans employed linen, animal intestines, and bladders—mostly from sheep and goats—to create rudimentary condoms. In China and Japan, innovators used silk, oiled paper, or lamb intestines to produce “glans” condoms that covered only the tip of the penis. Some Japanese variants even featured tortoise shells and animal horns.

8. Mercury

One of the most hazardous birth‑control experiments involved drinking mercury—or lead—in ancient China. Concubines believed that ingesting enough of these heavy metals would render them sterile without causing immediate death.

Mercury exposure is notorious for causing sterility, brain damage, kidney failure, and death. Women who drank it hoped the organ‑damaging effects would guarantee childlessness.

Sometimes mercury was mixed with other poisons like arsenic and strychnine. Historically, it also served as a topical antimicrobial, a dental treatment, and even an ingredient in eye drops and laxatives.

9. Honey

Honey, the sweet nectar bees produce, was more than a culinary delight in ancient Egypt—it also featured in contraceptive recipes, likely after crocodile dung proved ineffective.

The Ebers Papyrus (circa 1550 BC) records a mixture of acacia berries and colocynth (bitter apple) blended with honey. This sticky concoction was fashioned into a makeshift tampon and inserted vaginally.

Egyptians believed this honey‑based blend could prevent pregnancy for up to three years, though modern science doubts its efficacy.

10. Crocodile Dung

Some of the earliest recorded contraceptives date back to 1850 BC in ancient Egypt. The Ramesseum Papyrus, a medical text from the 17th century BC, recommended applying crocodile dung as a birth‑control barrier.

Because the dung is thick and sticky, Egyptians thought it could form a wall to block sperm penetration. The practice may also have held religious significance, as the crocodile was linked to Set—the deity associated with hemorrhaging, abortion, and miscarriage.

Here are 10 surprising facts about contraception that will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about birth control, from how the pill can sway a woman’s mate preferences to the way reality TV has nudged teen pregnancy rates down.

10 Surprising Facts About Contraception

10 Pill Use May Influence A Woman’s Choice Of Sexual Partner

Research repeatedly shows that during ovulation, many women feel a stronger pull toward traditionally “masculine” traits—tall stature, broad shoulders, dominance, competitiveness, and high intelligence. Evolutionary biologists argue this bias evolved to steer women toward partners who could provide resources and protection.

Enter the oral contraceptive pill. With roughly 60 million women worldwide relying on it, the pill suppresses the hormonal surge that triggers ovulation, and the associated shift in attraction appears to vanish. A recent study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine concluded that pill‑using women generally do not experience the same spike in preference for masculine men during their cycle.

What does this mean for human evolution? Some speculate that the classic “man’s man” could gradually fade as more women on the pill pair with less traditionally masculine partners. Yet when women discontinue the pill to conceive, the attraction to masculine traits may flare up again. Even if the pool of hyper‑masculine men shrinks, evolution isn’t necessarily doomed—earlier UK research found that while pill‑users might favor less masculine men for a brief fling, they actually lean toward traditionally macho partners when seeking a long‑term relationship.

9 A Woman’s Sexual Satisfaction May Depend On How She Takes The Pill

Beyond mate selection, the pill can also influence relationship dynamics. A separate study examined how a woman’s pill status correlated with her overall satisfaction in long‑term partnerships.

When it came to non‑sexual aspects of the relationship, pill usage made no difference—whether a woman was on the pill or not, her satisfaction levels were virtually identical. However, sexual satisfaction told a different story. Women who remained consistently on the pill, or consistently off it, reported higher sexual contentment with their partners than women who started or stopped using the pill during the course of the relationship.

This suggests that switching contraceptive methods mid‑relationship could dampen sexual fulfillment. So, if you’re trying to rekindle the spark, you might consider swapping roses for a pack of birth‑control pills—just kidding, but the data certainly raises eyebrows.

8 Overweight Women Are More Likely To Experience Birth Control Failure

Among pill users, body‑mass index (BMI) appears to matter. Women with a BMI of at least 27.3 face a 60 % higher risk of an unintended pregnancy, while those with a BMI of 32.2 or above see that risk climb to roughly 70 %.

Recall that a BMI between 25 and 29.9 signals overweight status, and 30 or higher indicates obesity. While BMI is a handy, albeit imperfect, proxy for body fat—sometimes overstating fat in muscular individuals and understating it in older adults—it does highlight a concerning trend.

The exact mechanism remains unclear, but researchers hypothesize that higher body weight may boost metabolic rates, increase liver enzyme activity, and expand fat stores, all of which could shorten the pill’s effective window and dilute its concentration in the bloodstream.

7 Reality TV May Have Significantly Reduced Teen Pregnancies

While most critics argue that television fuels risky teen behavior, a pair of economists discovered a surprising upside to MTV’s reality series 16 and Pregnant and its spin‑off Teen Mom. By mining Google Trends, Twitter chatter, and official birth‑record data, they traced a noticeable dip in teen birth rates during the shows’ airtime.

Their analysis suggested a drop of up to 5.7 % in teen births between June 2009 and the end of 2010—roughly one‑third of the total decline observed in that period. Moreover, teen abortions also fell, indicating that the reduced birth count stemmed from fewer pregnancies rather than increased terminations.

If these findings hold, the shows may have performed a public‑health service by reshaping attitudes toward contraception and encouraging more responsible choices among at‑risk youth.

6 The Pill For Men

Scientists have chased a male birth‑control pill for decades, yet a testosterone‑based formulation that suppresses sperm while preserving libido has remained elusive. When testosterone levels are sufficient to maintain sexual function, sperm production typically rebounds.

Recent breakthroughs have shifted focus away from hormones toward a novel strategy: blocking two proteins in the smooth‑muscle cells that power sperm expulsion during ejaculation. In mouse models, disabling these proteins leaves sperm present but immobilized, effectively preventing fertilization without harming sperm quality or sexual performance.

Although promising, this approach is still years away from human trials. Expect a potential timeline of up to a decade before a market‑ready male contraceptive pill becomes a reality.

5 A Newer Female Sterilization Process Increases The Risk Of Pregnancy

Female sterilization is intended to be a permanent solution, and in the United States it stands as the most common method for women over 35. The traditional laparoscopic approach has long been the gold standard, but a newer hysteroscopic technique—often performed in a physician’s office—has gained traction.

Unfortunately, data over a ten‑year span reveal that hysteroscopic sterilization leaves women more than ten times as likely to experience an unintended pregnancy compared with laparoscopic sterilization. The procedure involves inserting tiny coils into the openings of the fallopian tubes, then requiring an additional three‑month period of alternative contraception while the tubes are confirmed blocked via dye and X‑ray imaging.

The heightened pregnancy risk is most pronounced during the first year after the procedure, primarily because the method only becomes effective after the three‑month waiting period. Some patients also miss follow‑up appointments, which are essential to verify successful tubal occlusion.

4 Teens Get Bad Information About The Morning‑After Pill From Pharmacists

The emergency contraceptive, commonly known as the morning‑after pill, is legally available without a prescription. Yet a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that many 17‑year‑old teens encountered misinformation when trying to purchase it.

Researchers posed as teenagers and called 940 pharmacies across the United States. In numerous cases, pharmacy staff either outright denied access or gave inaccurate guidance about age requirements, despite the legal entitlement. Some employees cited personal or religious objections, while others insisted that a boyfriend could not fill the prescription for a teen or that a parent’s presence was mandatory.

The authors recommend that adolescents stock the morning‑after pill at home ahead of time, sidestepping the gatekeeping that can delay or prevent timely access.

3 A New Intravaginal Ring May Protect Against Pregnancy, Herpes, and HIV

A cutting‑edge intravaginal ring is poised for clinical testing, delivering a dual‑drug cocktail over a three‑month period. The device releases tenofovir—a potent antiretroviral that shields against HIV and herpes—alongside levonorgestrel, a low‑dose hormonal contraceptive that prevents pregnancy.

The ring measures roughly 5.5 cm (2.1 in) in diameter and stays comfortably inside the vagina for the entire three‑month span. Engineering this device was a feat: tenofovir is highly water‑soluble and required a 10 mg daily dose, whereas levonorgestrel is water‑insoluble and needed only 10 µg per day. The result is a seamless, low‑maintenance regimen that outperforms daily pills in adherence.

Unlike oral antiretrovirals, which demand higher doses and strict daily compliance, the ring offers a “set‑and‑forget” solution, simplifying protection against both unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

2 Parents Of Teen Girls Mostly Prefer One Type Of Contraception

A University of California study surveyed parents about their preferred contraceptive methods for teenage daughters. The findings revealed a clear hierarchy of acceptance, beginning with birth‑control pills and descending through condoms, injectable hormones, the morning‑after pill, transdermal patches, implants, and finally intrauterine devices (IUDs).

Parental preferences were shaped by several factors: beliefs about the likelihood of their daughter being sexually active, personal parenting philosophies, knowledge of sexually transmitted infections, and the parents’ own teenage sexual experiences. Notably, parents who anticipated that their teen would be sexually active were more amenable to condoms and the emergency pill, while more religious parents tended to reject the morning‑after option.

Researchers expressed surprise that condoms—non‑invasive and protective against both pregnancy and STIs—were not the top choice, underscoring the complex interplay between cultural, moral, and practical considerations in family contraceptive decisions.

1 That Old Myth About Going Blind If You Have Sex May Be True After All

The American Academy of Ophthalmology recently reported that women who have taken oral contraceptives for three or more years face double the risk of developing glaucoma compared with non‑users.

The study tracked 3,400 women aged 40 and older across the United States. While researchers have yet to pinpoint the exact biological pathway, they suspect that estrogen influences intra‑ocular pressure, a known risk factor for glaucoma. Additional risk factors include age, family history, African ancestry, elevated eye pressure, diabetes, and hypertension.

Given these findings, the authors advise women with prolonged pill usage to schedule regular glaucoma screenings with an eye specialist, ensuring early detection and treatment if needed.